Movies

The first two Ip Man films were cult like classics that expanded beyond it's martial arts genre into the watch list of fans of time pieces and general underdog story narratives. Donnie Yen who starred in the two original films had become disenfranchised with the idea of further continuing to work on I.P. Man films after the success of his films spawned a bunch of low budget spinoffs which were not of the same caliber as the films he had worked on. It seemed that at the end of Ip Man 2 they had closed the chapter on the man's life by giving us a run down of what the rest of his life entailed and even the circumstances of his death. When Ip Man 3 was first announced many of us fans were left scratching our heads which was only made worse by the fact that leaked details of the film showed the introduction of gimmicks to sell tickets. First it was the CGI version of Ip man's real life student and best known martial artist ever Bruce Lee, this has since resulted in lawsuits and litigation by the Lee estate over who has a rights to Bruce's image. As if that wasn't bad enough we then got word that former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson will also be making an appearance and taking part in a fight scene with Yen, Tyson will be playing some sort of real estate developer who somehow gets sucked into the tensions of China's disdain for outsiders (both Ip Man films addressed this).

As much as I love Donnie Yen's body of work I can't understand why he would want to be part of this project, he recently turned down quite a few roles in big budget American films that would've helped him cross over and replace the now vacated positions left by both Jackie Chan and Jet Li (the latter due to a crippling illness). Some have speculated that this film will then span off into another franchise based on Ip's two sons who were part of the story in both films, both of which went on to be teachers of Wing Chun for decades following their fathers passing. Will this be any good? We won't know until the film finally sees the light of day but the attention they are trying to put into the filming of it in 3D indicates that fans of the first two films will end up critiquing it heavily. Wilson Yip is a fantastic Director but not so great that he can't deliver a dud, he has in the past and it's hard to see how this new film will not fall into the forgettable bin.

Paul Reubens will return as the eccentric Pee-wee Herman in Netflix's next feature film "Pee-wee's Big Holiday." This is the first standalone theatrical Pee-wee feature since 1988's "Big Adventure" sequel "Big Top Pee-wee," with the beloved kids' series originally on CBS "Pee-wee's Playhouse" and a handful of made-for-tv specials and stage appearances since. Judd Apatow, who honed the project with Reubens, will produce John Lee's ("Broad City," "Inside Amy Schumer," whose lead comedienne stars in Apatow's upcoming "Trainwreck") directorial debut. Reubens co-penned the film with Paul Rust, a story editor on Netflix's season four restart of "Arrested Development." Here's the official synopsis, with production set to begin in March 2015: "A fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny." No »

“Snow White and the Huntsman” spinoff “The Huntsman” has added Jessica Chastain to star opposite Chris Hemsworth. Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who received an Academy Award nomination in Visual Effects for his work on 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which starred Kristen Stewart, Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, will be making his directorial debut on the follow-up. Also Read: TheWrap’s 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015: From ‘Fifty Shades’ to ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Spectre’ Joe Roth is returning to produce, while Palak Patel will executive produce. Vice president of production Maradith Frenkel and creative executive Chloe Yellin will oversee the project for the studio.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has set sail! Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films' comedy adventure began production in Queensland, Australia, Tuesday, the studio announced. The movie will be directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning and is the fifth entry in the $3.7 billion franchise inspired by the Disney Theme Parks attraction. Johnny Depp is reprising his Academy Award-nominated role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Of course, he isn't the only person returning for the journey: Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa), Kevin R. McNally (Joshamee Gibbs) and Stephen Graham (Scrum) are joining the 51-year-old actor for more danger on the high seas. Newcomers include Javier Bardem, »

Mash: I know this show might not be everyone's cup of tea but this was the number one show in America for so long it's become sort of a cult of it's own. This is the first time M.A.S.H will be available for digital streaming, i'm not sure how netflix pulled this off but we tried to license this show for streaming years ago and ran into a brick wall. This show has an amazing cast that mixes comedy, drama and suffering all into 23 minute episodes that stand the test of time. Starring Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce and featuring many actors who made appearances on the show only to go on and have successful careers of their own (Pat Morita, George Wendt, Shelley Long). I'm not sure how many of the eleven seasons will be available right away but rest assured that however many episodes they give us it'll be worth your time to watch.

Spartacus: This show was a monstrous success for both Starz and Netflix, it was easily the most watched series ever on Netflix prior to the releases of House of Cards and Orange is the new black. Spartacus follows the story of a Thracian man forced by Rome to serve in it's ranks only to be betrayed, enslaved, and forced to become a gladiator. The show features lots of drama, gore, betrayal, and sex. I am a fan of this show for it's supporting cast more so than the lead characters. Lucy Lawless and John Hannah absolutely steal this show, add to the equation perfect acting execution from the non-gladiators and you have a great recipe that provides one hell of a ride start to finish.

House of Cards Season 3: Kevin Spacey returns (February 27th) in an all new season of the award winning and critically acclaimed series that pits him in the halls of the White House. At the end of the last season Spacey's character ascends to the position of Vice President all while the walls and crimes of his past seemingly are closing in on him. How will he manipulate himself out of this situation? One can only wonder but based on the amazing team behind the show you can expect it'll have you watching closely the whole way through

As we've been doing we are back with our top suggestions of things currently available on Netflix this month.

Peaky Blinders: Two full seasons are available of this Netflix original starring Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson. The show takes place just after the first world war featuring Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby the head of a traveling family involved in the gambling hustle. The show is staged well around a set that looks authentic and a cast of characters that make this show enjoyable. We highly suggest you take a look at it.

Agatha Christie's Poirot Seasons 7-11: Hercule Poirot is back for more, watch as the little grey cells unravel cases for the famous Belgian private detective. If you enjoyed the first six seasons fret not the show never loses it's subtle humor and it's well acted scenes. Although some characters are not as prominent in this phase of the long running show, new ones come to the fold guaranteeing new chemistry throughout new travels.

Wolf of Wall Street (2013): Martin Scorcese brings the flash bang of fast living and fast money in this tale of ambition, greed, and over indulgence. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the role of Jordan Belfort notorious a stock trader that rose to the greatest heights of power, sex, drugs, and money only to see it end from behind the bars of federal prison. Jonah Hill brings hilarious acting as his right hand man Donnie Azoff who met Jordan by coincidence and followed him all the way up along the way participating in some of the most outrageous moments in corporate history.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies dominated the box office on Friday, while Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Annie essentially tied for second place.The final installment in the Hobbit trilogy added $16.58 million yesterday, which brings its three-day total to $51 million. It was up 67 percent from Thursday, which is a bigger jump than any of the Lord of the Rings movies had at the same point.For the three-day weekend, Battle of the Five Armies should earn at least $50 million. That would translate in to a five-day opening at $85-million-plus, which is a very solid result.Playing at 3,785 locations, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb opened to an estimated $5.63 million on Friday. That's a fairly disappointing number for this big-budget threequel: in contrast, the first Night at the Museum earned $12.1 million on opening day back in December 2006. This opening puts Secret of »

Will Smith has had mixed results the last few years with several projects coming up short of what's come to be expected. His focus having shifted more into production he'd find himself cast in roles that didn't suit him very well. That's all about to change with 'Focus' Starring Smith alongside Margot Robbie. The film is semi romantic crime drama but it's bringing back the charismatic acting of Will Smith with full force. Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself.

So I like to watch a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, well all in all honesty.. Netflix/Amazon Prime all of the time. There are quite a few great shows on Netflix I often bring up with others only to find out they've never heard of it. Mostly because these shows may have been minor priorities to their networks when they first aired. So we are starting a monthly post featuring three or more items on Netflix and Amazon Prime that you might want to check out.

1. An Idiot Abroad (Netflix)

This show is absolutely a brilliant practical joke turned into great television. Follow along as Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send "An idiot abroad". To give you a little background on this show we need to take a time machine back nearly a decade to when Ricky hosted a radio show alongside Stephen Merchant. During the course of their run they hired Karl Pilkington who turned out to be so peculiar that they eventually decided to place a mic in front of his face and share him with the world. The result was some of the best comedy to emerge out of England. Karl is so far off the grid in his thoughts at times that it is absolutely hilarious to sit there and listen to him and Stephen argue. The radio show was so successful they decided to release it in podcast format. That became so popular that Karl ended up with his own television show. An idiot abroad sends a Karl across the globe to some of the most remote and unnerving places he could possibly be placed in. The guy complains, he enjoys, he laughs, he gets mad, and it's not the least bit scripted. Watch the trailer below and judge for yourself.

Foyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after World War II. The show is part of the Masterpiece series when you can catch it on PBS, it's also available on both Amazon and Netflix. The series episodes are like mini movies themselves offering you a crime, investigation, and conclusion unlike most detective shows this one has an elegance of the era that does not bore you to death. The lead character Christopher Foyle is ever the wise gentleman who along with his driver and sidekick take you through a maze of crimes over the course of a war period in england. One of the most amazing things about this show is that you start falling in love with the characters, it is a very well balanced cast that works amazingly well in portraying the era and making the story more interesting itself. Check out the trailer below for a better idea of what to expect.

Jack Huston has been tapped to fill Charlton Heston's sandals. The Boardwalk Empire actor is in talks to star in Paramount and MGM's Ben-Hur remake, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The deal has not yet been finalized and could still fall apart. Filming is set to begin in Europe next year with director Timur Bekmambetov at the helm. Morgan Freeman had been previously announced to co-star in the film as Ildarin, who teaches Ben-Hur how to race chariots. John Ridley did a rewrite on Keith Clarke's script. Ridley, Clarke, Jason F. Brown and Roma Downey are executive producers.

Well so much for a flop, which is what many expected this movie to be. Seems like Disney hit a home run with it's CGI riddled Guardians of the Galaxy film, pretty much guaranteeing a few more entries and possible spin-offs for the franchise. Rumors have begun swirling about spin-off films for some of the stars of the film. The two most notable actors in this cast are pretty much guaranteed to get the first go at their own film. No word on who will write or produce the spinoff to come but rest assured after cracking the billion mark at the box office Disney will be looking to keep cashing in on the success already pretty evident. Whether they too will have hefty budgets is yet to be seen, most spinoffs don't tend to have the same success as the franchise and only a fraction of the budget for filming.

Universal Pictures is developing an untitled movie with the comedy group The Lonely Island, composed of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

The studio has acquired a pitch from the trio, which will star in and produce the comedy set in the world of music. Universal-based Judd Apatow is also producing.

The group worked from 2005 to 2011 on “Saturday Night Live,” when Samberg was a cast member and Taccone and Schaffer were writers. They are best known for producing musicvideos “Lazy Sunday,” “Dick in a Box,” “Jizz in My Pants,” “Like a Boss” and “I’m on a Boat.”

The Lonely Island also released the 2009 album “Incredibad” and 2011’s “Turtleneck & Chain,” with songs from “SNL” such as “I Just Had Sex” featuring Akon, “The Creep” featuring Nicki Minaj and “Jack Sparrow” featuring Michael Bolton.

In January, the group inked a deal with Fox to develop TV shows on digital platforms for the network. »

Wading into the faith-based arena, Focus Features will release Jesus movie Christ the Lord on March 23, 2016, the Wednesday before Easter Sunday. Based on Anne Rice’s best-selling novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, the movie is described as a fictionalized version of the story of Jesus as a young boy, who is just beginning to learn the truth about his identity and purpose.?? The cast has not yet been announced. Focus Features chief Peter Schlessel acquired U.S. rights to Christ the Lord when running FilmDistrict. Once Schlessel arrived at Focus earlier this year, Focus

Fans who showed up for Preview Night at San Diego Comic-Con got the chance to see the cape and cowl that Ben Affleck will wear as Batman in the upcoming film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” DC Entertainment had the suit displayed on the floor, allowing fans to get up close and personal with the movie costume. Also read: ‘Gotham’ Creator on Why Batman Would Spell the End of the Show While the body of the suit was missing, fans were still able to see how the face of the cowl was structured, which goes a long way to show how. »

Those who missed “Thor: The Dark World” or were still green enough to leave before the end credits now finally have their first good look at Benicio Del Toro as Marvel's newest villain, The Collector, in his own “Guardians of the Galaxy” poster. The Collector will be among the villains facing off against the Guardians: Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana‘s Gamora, David Bautista's Drax, Bradley Cooper‘s Rocket and Vin Diesel‘s Groot. The colorful character lives up to his name, as he was shown ominously saying, “One down, five to go” when he was handed the Aether, »

As “The Purge: Anarchy” prepares to face off with “Sex Tape” and the “Planes” sequel this weekend in theaters, Universal Studios is gearing up for a battle of its own. Screenwriter Douglas Jordan-Benel filed a lawsuit against the studio, writer and director James DeMonaco, and United Talent Agency (to name a few), claiming they stole his idea for last year's Ethan Hawke horror breakout, “The Purge.” Also read: ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ Review: Horror Sequel Looks Dumb by Trying to Appear Smart According to the documents filed in court on Thursday, the concept at the base of the franchise about a faux Utopian society that. »

Jon Favreau is directing the live action film from a script by Justin Marks.

The 10-year-old Sethi, from New York, was chosen from among thousands of kids who auditioned for the role in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Canada.

“The Jungle Book” will be Sethi’s first acting role.

“Casting is the most important element of any film and finding the right kid to play Mowgli was imperative,” Favreau said in a statement. “Neel has tremendous talent and charisma. There is a lot riding on his little shoulders and I’m confident he can handle it.”

Casting director Sarah Finn described Sethi as embodying “the heart, humor, and daring of the character. He’s warm and accessible, yet also has an intelligence well beyond his years and impressed us all with his ability to »